Four south-west tuna fishermen had to be rescued off Peterborough on Sunday evening after their 24ft fibreglass half-cabin vessel experienced engine difficulties. Warrnambool Coast Guard flotilla deputy commander and skipper Keith Prest said the alarm was raised soon after 5pm when the fishermen's boat suffered propulsion issues. He said the four men in their 20s had put in at the steep ramp at Boat Bay, about five kilometres west of Peterborough. Mr Prest said their boat lost propulsion and they were being pushed towards the Peterborough cliffs by the swell. As they were nearing the breakers and dangerous water, a small boat was able to pull them to safety and then a larger boat started towing them back towards Warrnambool. They were met by the Warrnambool Coast Guard, who towed the fibreglass boat back to Warrnambool harbour. "They lost power, there was a fair bit of a swell and Boat Bay is a very steep ramp, not for the faint-hearted," Mr Prest said. "We took over the tow well past Childers Cove and got back to Warrnambool about 11pm. "It was a good result all round. It was a bit tricky in the swell. Friends had brought the trailer down from Peterborough to pick up the broken down boat." Mr Prest said the fishermen had two excellent sized tuna, probably about 80 kilograms each. "So it wasn't all bad for the boys," he said. "We had five people on our boat and it was a pitch black night. It was very tiring condition and we were completely reliant on our instruments," he said. Have you signed up to The Standard's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in the south-west.